


From Under the Wreckage

by Redhoodnightwing13



Series: Mels whumptober 2020 [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:54:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26840962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redhoodnightwing13/pseuds/Redhoodnightwing13
Summary: Red Robin and Nightwing get buried under wreckage together, but there's more to this incident than there seems to be. If only Tim could remember...(Part 4 of my whumptober challenge! Buried Alive/Collapsed Building prompt)
Relationships: Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Series: Mels whumptober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949641
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	From Under the Wreckage

Tim could hear a faint muffled voice somewhere close as he seemed to float between reality and oblivion, his body weightless as it tried to cling to the safety of the darkness instead of the wailing and vibrant colors that seemed eager to pierce his eyelids and force him to the light. 

He tried desperately to hold onto the shadows, to gather them close and sink deep into them, but the voice was getting louder, more adamant, like the persistent call of a rising sun to waning nightfall. 

And as that sun got higher in the sky, and he felt himself slip reluctantly back into consciousness, Tim felt his body burn bright, from his toes up to the very top of his forehead.

“Tim…Timmy please.” As Tim’s eyes cracked halfway open, the world seemed to shift under him, and he closed them tight again and dug his fingers into his tattered suit. His stomach churned with the contents of that morning's breakfast, the last time he had eaten, and he prayed that he wouldn’t have to deal with the smell of vomit on top of what he realized was the overwhelming smell of burning wood and gasoline. 

“Come on, Timmy. Open your eyes for me.” He knew that that voice had sounded familiar. Dick, his older brother. Nightwing. He allowed that voice to coax him towards the light, despite how much it hurt, because there really wasn’t any reality in which he didn’t trust Dick Grayson to make things better if he could.

With a herculean effort, Tim forced his eyes open and took in the almost apocalyptic world around him. The room around him was bathed in shades of red and orange, burning bright at an almost alarming rate. The floor was covered in debris, metals, and burning wood and Tim took a moment to try to recall exactly where he was. He must have knocked his head.

He was in a warehouse, Tim remembered that at least. Bruce had assigned him a case involving Roman Sionis and a human trafficking ring he was suspected of involvement with. Tim had discovered that Sionis’ men were moving a group of individuals out of Gotham that night from an empty warehouse down at the docks. If they succeeded, those people would likely never be seen again. Tim could not allow that to happen.

He remembered making plans to scout out the location that night as a solo act, so that did little to account for the fact that – 

“Nightwing!” Tim hardly recognized the sound of his own voice as he jolted forward, eyes frantically searching for his brother among the rubble. His arms knocked into a warped piece of metal that seemed to have shielded his body from most of the debris impact. He took stock of his body, and minus a couple of scrapes and burns, it seemed he had come out of whatever had happened relatively alright. 

He had to get the metal piece out of the way.

He had to find his brother.

“Tim! Tim, it’s okay, little brother.” Tim allowed him to latch on to that voice, to tune into it instead of the wild panic that was threatening to crush him faster than the wreckage right above him. He looked over to his left and felt himself let out a relieved sigh when he saw Dick struggling to move his own obstacles out of the way. Their eyes met and his older brother’s gentle smile would have been incredibly comforting if not for the fact that a trail of blood was inching its way out of the corner of Dick’s mouth. And the gigantic pile of rubble that was piled on top of his brother’s legs.

“You’re…bleeding.” 

Dick’s face was pale, and as he reached his hand up to wipe away the evidence of blood on his face, Tim could see how badly his hands were shaking.

It did little to stop the smile from slipping from Dick’s face, however, even though it looked far more pained than Tim was comfortable with.

“It’s okay. I’m fine. “Dick ran a hand over his hair, wincing a bit. Tim bet he had hit his head as well. “Do you remember anything, baby bird? You’ve been out of it for a while.”

Tim shook his head and almost immediately regretted it as the room tilted again. “I don’t remember much after this afternoon.” Tim paused. “And I definitely don’t remember you being invited along, Nightwing.”

A choked burst of a laugh echoed through the warehouse and Tim felt himself wince as it trailed off into a wheezing cough. 

“When have I ever been able to sit back when one of my siblings is in need of backup?” Dick’s smile faded for a moment. “You went after Sionis alone, even after I advised you to wait for backup, baby bird.”

Ah, yeah, he had done that, hadn’t he?

Tim could vaguely remember Dick’s voice over the comm, telling him to stand down, that he was ten minutes out, and would be able to assist him. But Tim had slid down from the rafters anyway, despite his big brother's warning, and had thrown himself into the fray. 

“I thought I’d be able to distract them long enough for you to arrive, okay?” Tim felt a pain shoot through the back of his head, and he let out a low groan. When he swiped his fingers across the back of his scalp, bright red streaks coated his hand. “Oh, crap.” He could hear Dick’s insistent screaming in the background as his eyes blurred again and the world went dark. He knew his brother’s frantic yelling should force him to open his eyes, but he allowed himself to sink. 

For a second all he could see was black- but then, flashes of moments started filling his vision…

_Sionis had been at the warehouse that night, and while it hadn’t been a total surprise, Tim hadn’t planned on running into him before Nightwing arrived.  
They’d overpowered him rather quickly, and Tim had wondered at that moment if maybe they had been expecting him._

_Sionis leaned over him, a wide smile on his lips. He had leaned down and traced his fingers across Tim’s chin and said, “You’ll bring Nightwing right to me, won’t you, boy?”_

It was a trap. They’d known Tim was looking into them, somehow. They were using him as bait for Nightwing. And he’d guess that they used an explosion to incapacitate the two of them.

Tim’s eyes opened again, looking towards where Dick had been a few moments before, but he couldn't see him. There was silence instead of screaming, and Tim kicked his legs out as he tried to find a way out of the wreckage. 

“Nightwing! Nightwing, where are you?!”

“I’d be more worried about you right now, kiddo.” Tim looked up to his right and came eye to eye with Roman Sionis, and right behind him, crumbled between two tall henchmen, was his brother.

Tim felt himself growl as he tried to move the metal beam again, his arms straining as he tried desperately to free himself.

Roman let out a laugh and turned back to his men, indicating at them to move out. Tim felt panic take hold of him again as his brother’s unconscious body began to slip further and further away from him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take extra good care of the bird for you.” The building around them seemed to shudder for a second and Tim knew it wouldn’t stay standing for much longer. With the way Roman’s eyes lit up at that, Tim was guessing that was exactly what he was counting on.

“Batman will find you. You won’t get away with this.”  
Roman considered him for a moment, before leaning down and gently ruffling his hair. Tim’s skin absolutely crawled at the gesture.

“I think it’s actually you who won’t be getting away, Red Robin.” Roman stood up at full height and began to walk away towards the front of the building. The air in the building was getting heavier and Tim felt the pressure begin to build in his chest, from smoke or panic he couldn’t tell.

As Roman disappeared into the night, and Tim frantically tried to find his commlink, he hoped that Bruce and the others would find Dick before it was too late because as the building gave another rattling creek, he knew it was already too late for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Part 4 of my Whumptober challenge! Hope you guys enjoyed! This one didn't want to finish haha so there will be more:)
> 
> (Also I realized I should possibly tag major character death, but that ending is left purposely vague for a reason!)


End file.
